Aurelius, Once Again

On the Seventh Floor of Hogwarts Castle, in front of the Headmaster's Office.

"Cockroach Cluster?"

"Fizzing Whizbees?"

"Toffee?"

"Grindelwald?"

"Gellert Grindelwald?"

"Dumbledore?"

"Um... almond ice cream?"

The Gargoyle finally couldn't wait any longer. Its terrifying face twisted strangely, emitting a low, muffled thud. "Ten minutes have passed! I said, are you going to tell me all the names of desserts and snacks, everything that's connected to the headmaster?"

Leaning against the wall, Sean licked the crumbs of almond ice cream in his hand. "Actually, there's not much left. England desserts are a bit better than gourmet food, but not by much."

The Gargoyle: "But this is the password! No, no, no."

"Hmm... Crispy Wizard Biscuits?" Sean blinked.

The Gargoyle ignored him.

"Hey buddy, I know, you can contact the headmaster. Or you could help me inform Professor Dumbledore. You know, such a big Headmaster's Office doesn't even have a doorbell."

The Gargoyle remained motionless, returning to its original state as a stone statue.

It seemed there was no other way... Sean ate the last bit of the cone, lingered with the Gargoyle for a while, and finally left dejectedly.

Why is Dumbledore avoiding me...?

Sean, realizing the two old men were putting on an act, wanted to talk to the headmaster, but he couldn't find him anywhere in the castle, and even the usually easy-to-guess password to the Headmaster's Office was now impossible to guess.

Feeling somewhat depressed Sean walked towards the end of the corridor, where there was an open-air balcony, but it was rarely visited.

Hermione and Daisy, who had been sticking to him all along, went to the Room of Requirement. The two of them were almost at the initial stage of their Animagus transformation, but because of the holiday, they couldn't start the first step yet. However, the two of them had already started to imagine their Animagus forms—they had recently found an ancient book in the Room of Requirement that introduced the Animagus forms of medieval wizards.

Stepping onto the balcony, I could see a bunch of tiny figures Accio on the Quidditch Pitch in the distance, as students enjoyed their last moments of fun at school.

A warm breeze caressed his face, and Sean stretched out a big yawn.

The weather has been wonderful lately.

Looking beyond the Quidditch Pitch, Sean could vaguely see a cluster of buildings in the far distance— Hogsmeade Village, the only village in England entirely inhabited by wizards.

This place was founded by Hengist of Woodcroft. Hogwarts students can travel here on weekends, but only students in their third year or older with permission from their parents or other guardians are allowed to go.

Sean naturally didn't need to worry about his parents not signing, but he never quite understood why a guardian's signature was required to go to a wizard village.

This isn't a life-or-death agreement.

He rested his hands on the railing, gazing lazily into the distance, then squinted his eyes.

Is there something dark emerging from the sky above Hogsmeade?

The dark thing kept shooting upwards, flying to a point where even the students riding on their Flying Broomstick couldn't see it anymore. It changed direction and Accio towards Hogwarts.

The thing was incredibly fast; it had already rapidly approached the castle while Sean was squinting at it.

Sean finally saw what the thing looked like: a dark, oily substance.

Obscurus... no, it should be the Obscurial.

The Obscurial had clearly come for the Seventh Floor, and he also saw Sean on the balcony.

"Hey, Sean, long time no see." A familiar voice rang out.

Sean smiled and waved at the blob of black oil.

Obscurus flying towards the balcony, it began to twist and Transfiguration during its descent, and an old man with a long beard appeared next to Sean.

Aurelius Dumbledore.

"Hello, Mr. Dumbledore, it's been a long time," Sean greeted.

Aurelius waved his hand. "Just call me Aurelius. I hate seniority stuff, and you know, Dumbledore usually refers to my great uncle."

"Okay, Aurelius ... wait a minute," Sean paused, "Uncle, Dumbledore is your uncle?"

Aurelius looked at him questioningly. "Do I look much older than him?"

"No, I mean, I..." Sean became somewhat incoherent.

He also remembered that after his trip to Godric's Hollow Dumbledore sent him a letter that mentioned Dumbledore's past.

Dumbledore's sister Ariana was an Obscurial. During the conflict between Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Aberforth, Ariana was unfortunately caught in the crossfire, which led to a long-standing rift between Dumbledore and Grindelwald.

In an attempt to save his sister, Dumbledore attempted the most forbidden technique in alchemy— Human Transmutation.

As a result, Ariana's soul became entangled with the Phoenix, and a soul began to naturally emerge within the new body created by alchemy. Dumbledore mentioned that he was separated from the newborn child, and Sean always believed that Aurelius was that newborn soul.

But now, Uncle?

Aurelius suddenly looked enlightened. "Oh, oh, I thought Albus told you. But I can understand, he's never gotten along with my grumpy father."

"...ha?"

Aurelius didn't seem to mind revealing the Dumbledore family's affairs. He leaned casually against the railing and smiled as he said, "Because of some past events, Albus never mentions his family to outsiders. Similarly, because of that incident, my father's relationship with him has always been strained. However, so much time has passed, family is the most important thing, isn't it?"

"Uh, Aurelius, you mean you're Professor Dumbledore's nephew?" Sean's mouth dropped open.

Aurelius nodded. "My father's Aberforth Dumbledore, your headmaster's brother, but the two brothers have never gotten along."

He shrugged. "But my father was a scoundrel too. To be honest, it was only time that he healed the hatred. I only started talking to him in the last few years."

Sean's mouth hung open; his brain nearly crashed from the sheer volume of information.

Aurelius's left hand transformed into black particles, which, like a hand, lifted Sean's chin.

"I thought you were very receptive to new things," he said with a smile. "Is this news really that shocking?"

"This is so amazing..."

Aurelius's eyes as he turned to look into the distance. "Time really can smooth over many things."

Looking at the other person's expression, Sean pursed his lips. The Timeline of this world began to change from the time of Grindelwald's Paris Conference.

In other words, the old man in front of us, Aurelius, who was formerly known as Credence, still experienced a painful and torturous childhood.

Life is tough...

Sean leaned against the railing and sighed, mimicking Aurelius.

The old man turned his head and smiled gently, "You shouldn't learn anything from my old-fashioned ways. How old are you?"

Sean chuckled, and whether it was because they both had Obscurus living inside them or not, he always felt a sense of kinship with Aurelius.

He decided to let loose. "Could you tell me about your past, sir... oh, Aurelius?"

Aurelius laughed and said, "It's really just a bunch of trivial things. My father wasn't willing to take responsibility when he was young. I was adrift overseas when I was just a baby, and then due to some unforeseen accidents, I even became someone else—I lived the first half of my life under a different name."

"And then?" Even though he knew the plot, Sean was still very curious.

Aurelius shrugged, looking nonchalant. "Then, having had an unhappy childhood, I became Obscurial. Back then, I had nothing but unbridled power, and I wanted everything. I made mistakes and lost a lot, but now, I'm doing alright."

Sean sighed and rubbed his head. "Isn't this the same as saying nothing at all?"

Aurelius laughed heartily, "You just want to get some information about Albus and Gellert from me, right? Like I said, Sean, they'll have to tell you themselves."

"Why?" Sean asked, puzzled.

The old man winked at him, mimicking Dumbledore's manner. "Without experiencing it firsthand, you'll never know how complex those two people's thoughts are. Perhaps even a simple sentence contains profound meaning, or a common action has a hidden purpose. Trying to see through them? Believe me, that's too difficult. To ensure you don't misunderstand my information and cause any accidents, I'd better say less—in fact, I myself can't figure out Albus's intentions."

"Then, Aurelius, the two of them?" Sean was still unwilling to give up.

"Another break?" Aurelius pursed his lips. "I don't know, well, who knows?"

Sean sighed helplessly; the Dumbledore family were all the same.

Aurelius looked into the distance and pointed to Hogsmeade: "You'll be able to go to Hogsmeade next year, right? There's a Hog's Head Inn there, and my father owns it. Maybe you two can have a chat—he and Albus have always had a bad relationship anyway."

"And you, I mean, your father, well, he wasn't very mature when he was young..."

"Well, yes, he's very irresponsible, but he's probably a good person, right? At least I don't get angry when I talk to him now, and I'm even living with people at his place, so I have to be polite to my landlord, right?"

Sean smiled. "Ms. Nagini?"

Aurelius smiled broadly, "Yes, in the past year, her Blood Curse has been under very stable control, and perhaps it won't be long before she can go out for a walk— Nagini often mentions you, and she is very grateful for your help."

"Oh, it's nothing."

Aurelius turned around, straightening his habitually hunched back slightly, a gentle smile on his face, "It is precisely because I have experienced so much suffering that I cherish the present all the more. I hope we are all like that, Sean."

"Yes, Aurelius." Sean shook hands firmly with the old man.

Suddenly, he felt a strange fluctuation coming from that weathered palm.

It seemed to be a wondrous way of operating magic, like a notebook recording the pathways of magic.

"Aurelius?" Sean was taken aback.

The old man smiled slightly, "There is an attraction in Obscurus. Hmm, as a semi-pioneer, you may find these experiences useful."

Sean only had a slight feeling, but he was surprised to find that just by learning some experience, the Obscurus within him became even more active.

Aurelius waved to him. "I'll see you again next time with Nagini. Best regards, my friend."

After saying that, he walked towards the castle, leaving only his back view.

Sean gently clenched his left hand, and black particles belonging to the Obscurus seeped out from his palm. They changed shape according to Sean's will, and he could even adjust the output of the Obscurus's magic.

This experience is truly a great gift...

I ran up to the Seventh Floor, but I didn't see Dumbledore. Instead, I saw Aurelius.

Not only did they learn that Aurelius was Dumbledore's nephew, but they also received the great gift of controlling the Obscurus.

Sean raised an eyebrow and smiled; this trip had truly been worthwhile.

Obscurus for a while based on Aurelius's experience, Sean thought of something else.

Aurelius was actually Aberforth's son, so who was the alchemist that Dumbledore created?

Dumbledore said he was separated from the newborn baby, so does that mean he hasn't found him yet?

After pondering for a while, Sean, unable to figure it out, finally gave up.

Let's wait for Dumbledore to uncover the truth himself...

Sean had a premonition that Dumbledore was plotting something big, but what role did Grindelwald play in it?

The adult world is too troublesome... thought Sean, a second-year student who Sin within him that can destroy the world, can Transfiguration Fire Dragon at will, has already adopted a bunch of Magical Creatures of the xxxx and xxxxx levels, and is about to adopt a Basilisk.

Sigh, I'll be in third grade next year, but I'm still a child... He slowly walked away.

In the evening, amidst expectant gazes, Sean received his package.

Dozens of owls carried a huge wooden box, and his Gugu stood on top of the box, only flapping their wings symbolically when they were bored.

Who taught him to be so lazy...? Sean stroked Gugu's glossy feathers and then took the letter from its paw.

"Dear Sean:"

"Your mother, sister, and I are all looking forward to your return, but you've given me a difficult problem this time."

"Of course, a father never lets his pride down. I had these glasses made as you requested, and I hope you can use them—but what are such big glasses for? Are there Giant with snake heads in the Wizarding World? If so, then your social skills are astonishing."

"The blueprints are still there, and the workers are readily available. If any improvements are needed, you can handle them yourself when you come back for summer vacation. Your mother has personally cleaned your room, and your favorite food is already prepared— Ayla asked me to add that she helped out too, haha, your little sister is getting cuter and cuter."

"We're waiting for you to come back. Love, Dad, Mom, and Ayla."

Sean's lips unconsciously curled into a smile.